Method and apparatus for rejecting defective articles



H. 'KAEDING A 3,491,767

' Jan.' 27, 1970 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REJECTING DEFECTIVE ARTICLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed July 6, 1 962 n m m J Jan. 27, 1970 KAEDlNG 3,491,767

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REJECTING DEFECTIVE ARTICLES I Original Filed July 6, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 4

Jnvehtar:

Jan. 27, 1970 H. KAED1NG $491,767

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REJECTING DEFECTIVE ARTICLES Original Filed July 6, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 HvKAEDl-NG 3,491,767 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REJECTING DEFECTIVE ARTICLES Jan. 27, 1970 Original Filed July 6, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 72 Zlnrenzon He/nz Kaela My United States Patent 3,491,767 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REJECTING DEFECTIVE ARTICLES Heinz Kaeding, Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany, assignor to Hauni-Werke Koerber & Co. KG., Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany Continuation of application Ser. No. 208,030, July 6, 1962. This application Oct. 9, 1967, Ser. No. 674,016 Claims priority, application Great Britain, July 7, 1961, 24,631/ 61; July 5, 1962, 25,780/62 Int. Cl. A24b 3/00; A24c /12; G01m 19/00 US. Cl. 13121 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cigarette producing machine normally operated at a speed which is within a predetermined range of speeds, and a monitoring device to produce characteristic indications when the operating speed of the machine is outside of the predetermined range. The machine is adapted to produce filter cigarettes and the indications are produced on the cigarette or the filter portions of the same before the machine assembles a double length filter element between two cigarette portions. Detection and ejection of defectives takes place after such assembly. An ejector is responsive to such characteristic indications to segregate from satisfactory cigarettes those cigarettes which are produced when the speed of the machine is outside of the predetermined range.

This is a streamlined continuation of my application Ser. No. 208,030, filed July 6, 1962, and now abandoned.

This invention relates generally to the production of rod-shaped objects, such as, cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and the like, with or without filters or mouthpieces.

It is essential that, during the production of such rodshaped objects or the further treatment thereof following such production, defective objects should be discarded either prior to, or following the further processing. There are a variety of ways in which defects are apt to arise during the production of cigarettes and filters, or during the joining together of the cigarettes and filters. Some of 1 the defects occur during commencement of the operation of the machine when the machine is operated at a speed which is outside of a predetermined range of speeds, and upon replacement of the supply spools of paper or other wrapping material in which the rods of tobacco or the filters are encased, or by which the cigarettes and filters are joined to each other.

It is an object of this invention to provide a process and devices by which cigarettes and filters, or other rodshaped objects having manufacturing defects are sensed or detected and rejected or discharged from the machine.

In accordance with an important aspect of this invention, the rod-shaped objects, or the materials used in producing such objects, for example, the paper or other Wrapping material, are provided with characteristic indications during the periods of operation of the machine during which manufacturing defects occur, for example, during the commencement of operation of the machine, or upon replacement of the supply spools of paper or other wrapping material, and such characteristic indica-. tions provided on the rod-shaped objects or in the material from which the latter are formed are thereafter sensed to cause rejection or discharge from the machine of the defective objects.

In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the defective rod-shaped objects or the defective materials used for the production of the rod-shaped objects are automatically provided with apertures or incisions which weaken the defective rod-shaped objects so that, when 3,491,767 Patented Jan. 27, 1970 the latter are scanned by a suitable testing device, the weakened defective objects are deformed from their normal shape and thus acted upon by a rejecting device for discharge from the machine.

Further, the testing device may be sensitive to the air permeability of the wrapping material of the rod-shaped objects so that the apertures or incisions provided in the defective objects or in the wrapping material from which the latter are formed alter the air permeability of the defective objects sufliciently to permit the testing device to detect the altered air permeability and to cause operation of the device by which the defective rod-shaped objects are rejected or discharged from the machine.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent in the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a machine for producing rod-shaped objects, and which is provided with devices embodying the present invention for identifying and rejecting defective objects;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating details of a device provided in the machine of FIG. 1 for the purpose of identifying defective rod-shaped objects;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line IIIIlI on FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the testing and rejecting devices as viewed substantially in the direction of the arrow 1 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic side elevational view of a reel changing device that can be employed on the machine of FIG. 1 to identify the joints or splices connecting the ends of the wrapping material fed from successive supply reels;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 5, but showing the condition of the reel changing device when the ICC supply of wrapping material on a reel is almost depleted; 40 7 FIG. 7a is an enlarged view of a part of the device shown in FIG. 5, and illustrates the device in the process of detecting the exhaustion of the wrapping material on one of the reels;

FIG. 7b is an enlarged view of another part of the device shown in FIG. 5, and illustrates the splicing together of the wrapping material on successive reels;

FIG. 8a is a view similar to that of FIG. 7a, but illustrates the device while sensing a splice in a continuous web of wrapping material;

FIG. 8b is a view similar to that of FIG. 7b, but illustrating the device while performing the splice sensed in a continuous web of the wrapping material, as in FIG. 8a;

FIG. 9 is a detail perspective view illustrating structural details of a portion of the device shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a rod-shaped object of the kind handled by the machine of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of a continuous rod or shaft of cigarette tobacco encased in wrapping material a portion of which is broken away, in which perforations have been performed in a splice connecting ends of the wrapping material drawn from successive reels.

Referring to the drawings in details, and initially to FIG. 1 thereof, it will be seen that a machine for producing filter cigarettes and having devices for detecting and rejecting defective products in accordance with the present invention generally includes a base plate 2 and a frame 3 extending upwardly from the latter. The illustrated machine receives successive cigarettes which are transported in longitudinal alignment on the discharge conveyor 5 of a conventional cigarette making machine 4. The conveyor 5 terminates adjacent the periphery of a cigarette receiving drum 8 at one side of the latter, and a cigarette transfer unit 7 rockably mounted on a crank arm 6 receives cigarettes 28 fro-m the conveyor and deposits such cigarettes, two at a time, in the axially extending grooves spaced apart around the circumference of the drum 8.

The pairs of cigarettes thus deposited in the grooves of receiving drum 8 are transferred, by way of an intermediate drum 9, to axially extending, spaced apart grooves formed in the surface of an assembling drum 10 on which each pair of cigarettes is axially spaced apart in the related groove and a double filter plug or member 30 is interposed therebetween. The double filter plugs 30 are received from a filter cutting and arranging device which is preferably of the kind disclosed in the application for United States Letters Patent, Ser. No. 60,929, filed by Willy Rudszinat et al. on Oct. 6, 1960, now Patent No. 3,164,243 granted on J an. 5, 1965. Such a filter cutting and arranging device generally comprises a magazine 16 delivering filter elements each intended to form a plurality, for example, three, of the double filter plugs 30. These relatively long filter elements are deposited in the axially eX- tending grooves on the surface of a transfer drum 17 mounted rotatably below the magazine 16 and cooperating with two rotary cutting blades 18 disposed at axially spaced apart locations along the surface of drum 17 so that each filter element is thereby cut into three double filter plugs. The three double filter plugs 30 in each groove of the drum 17 are transferred to a drum 19 of stepped diameter which cooperates with a filter plug shuttling drum 20 to bring all of the filter plugs 30 into a single plane of rotation, whereupon the filter plugs 30 are deposited successively by a transfer drum 21 of relatively small axial extent in the central portions of the grooves of assembling dr-um 10 between the pairs of cigarettes previously deposited in such grooves.

Each filter plug 30 is intended to form the filters for the two cigarettes deposited in the same groove of assembling drum 10. Each group of two cigarettes 28 and a double filter plug 30 therebetween is transferred from drum 10 to a groove in the surface of a consolidating drum 11 which is provided with conventional mechanisms for moving the two cigarettes into end-to-end abutment with the intervening filter plug, for example, as in United States Letters Patent No. 2,821,201.

The illustrated machine further operates to join each filter plug 30 to the adjacent ends of the two cigarettes 28 between which the filter plug is located by means of a sleeve V of paper or other wrapping material (FIG. 10) so as to form a cigarette and filter unit G. In order to form the connecting sleeves V, the illustrated machine includes a holder 25 rotatably supporting a spool or reel 24 from which a web or strip 27 of paper or other wrapping material is unwound. The web or strip 27 passes around feed and guide rollers 26 and then through a sheeting unit that includes a back-up drum 22 and a revolving knife 23 having axially extending, spaced apart blades projecting from the surface thereof to cooperate with the surface of drum 22 in cutting the strip or web 27 into successive sections of paper or wrapping material each intended to form a connecting sleeve V. The successive paper sections are carried on the surface of drum 22 and are each made to adhere to a filter plug and a pair of cigarettes 28 in a groove of the consolidating drum 11.

The filter plugs, cigarettes and paper sections adhering thereto are transferred from the successive grooves of consolidating drum 11 to axially extending grooves in the surface of a rolling drum 12 which operates to roll each paper section and to form the sleeve V by which each pair of cigarettes 28 and the double filter plug 30 interposed therebetween are connected together to form a cigarette and filter unit G. A suitable rolling drum is disclosed, for example, in US. Patent No. 3,137,302 to Schubert. The successive cigarette and filter units G are transferred from drum 12 to an ejecting device 13 provided in accordance with the present invention and which is hereinafter described in detail. At this point, it is sufficient to note that the device 13 singles out and ejects the defective units G which are deposited in an underlying receptacle, while those units G having the desired properties and characteristics are further transferred into the axial grooves of a transfer drum 14 cooperating with a rotary cutting blade 14a associated therewith to out each unit G at the center thereof, and thereby provide two filter cigarettes from each unit. Since the filter cigarettes cut from each unit on the drum 14 have their filtered ends extending toward each other, the pairs of filtered cigarettes are transferred by way of a turning drum 15 to a belt conveyor 29, and the turning drum 15 operates, in a known manner, to reverse the direction of one of the filtered cigarettes in each groove so that the filtered ends of the cigarettes delivered to the conveyor 29 will all lie at one side of the latter. The filtered cigarettes delivered to the belt conveyor 29 in the manner indicated above are further transported to a packaging or other machine (not shown) by way of a suction device 58.

It is to be noted that, with the exception of the ejecting device 13 mentioned briefly above, the described machine for producing filter cigarettes does not form a part of the present invention, and has merely been described for the purpose of indicating a machine in which devices embodying the invention may be advantageously employed.

It will be apparent that, when operation of the described filtered cigarette making machine is halted for any substantial period of time, the adhesive by which the successive sections of paper out from the web 27 are to be joined to the related filter plugs and cigarettes to form the units G will dry out so that, upon subsequent restartingof the machine, the initially produced units G will not be properly secured or joined. In accordance with the present invention, the units G produced by the machine during the commencement of operation thereof are characteristically identified, for example, by apertures or incisions cut therein as hereinafter described in detail, so that such units may be readily singled out by the device 13 and ejected from the machine, thereby avoiding the discharge onto the conveyor 29 of defective filter cigarettes.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be seen that the device 59 provided in accordance with the present invention for identifying those cigarette and filter units G produced upon commencement of operation of the machine may include a pair of knife blades 60 carried by knife holders 61 which are rockable together on a shaft 62 which is suitably supported on the usual outer guides 51 of the rolling drum 12. The assembly of knife blades 60, holders 61 and shafts 62 may be disposed immediately below a sleeve rolling member (FIG. 2) associated with drum 12, and the knife blades 60 are spaced apart so as to be disposed adjacent the opposite end portions of the cigarettes 28 in each of the grooves of drum 12. Further, the knife blades 60 are rockable simultaneously between an operative position where such blades are closely adjacent to the surface of drum 12 and cut partially through the end portions of the cigarettes passing the location of the knife blades, and an inoperative position where the knife blades 60 are spaced a substantial distance from the surface of drum 12 and thereby avoid contact with the cigarettes included in each unit G transported by the drum. One of the blade holders 61 is pivotally connected through a link or rod 63 to the armature of a signal generator here shown as a solenoid 64 so that, when the latter is energized, and thereby displaces its armature in the direction of the arrow 66 (FIG. 2), the blades 60 are moved to their operative positions and thereby cut incisions in the paper envelopes or casings W of each pair of cigarettes 28 passing the location of the knife blades. The solenoid 64 is energized to move the knife blades 60 to their operative positions only when the operative speed of the associated filter cigarette making machine is less than a predetermined value. When the operating speed of the machine reaches such predetermined value, the solenoid 64 is automatically deenergized and thereby returns the blades 60 to their inoperative positions. Such control of the energization of solenoid 64 may be effected by a centrifugal monitoring switch 67 interposed in the energizing circuit 68 and driven, as by the illustrated chain and sprocket transmission, from the main drive of the cigarette making machine. The source of energy in the electric circuit 68 is shown at 68a.

The time normally required for the filter cigarette making machine to attain the predetermined speed at which centrifugal switch 67 opens is sufficient to ensure that blades 60 will form cuts or incisions in all of those cigarettes 28 of the units G on drum 12 during the shutdown period of the machine and to which paper sections are adhesively applied, but not rolled, prior to shutdown of the machine. Thus, upon commencement of the operation of the filter cigarette making machine, all of those initially produced units G to which the sleeves V are inadequately secured are identified by the incisions or cuts 56 formed therein by the blades 60. If the centrifugal switch 67 does not provide for energization of the solenoid 64 for a period of time sufiicient to ensure the identifying cutting of all of the units G which are defective, then a conventional time delay relay 68b can be interposed between the centrifugal switch 67 and the solenoid 64 for further delaying the deenergization of the latter.

In accordance with the present invention, the ejecting device 13 which receives the successive units G from rolling drum 12 is operative to sense or detect each of the units G having incisions 56 cut therein, as described above, and further to eject or discharge such defective units from the machine. The device 13, as hereinafter described in detail, is also effective to detect and reject defective units from which either the cigarettes 28, the filter plugs 30 or the connecting sleeves V are missing, or units in which the connecting sleeves are not securely attached to the cigarettes or the cigarettes are improperly filled.

As shown on FIG. 4, the ejecting device 13 is generally in the form of a drum made up of an outer cylinder 49 having a circumferentially spaced apart series of axially extending grooves 31 in its outer surface and being rotatably mounted, as by bearings 50, on a stationary core unit. Each groove 31 which receives a cigarette and filter unit G from the rolling drum 12 is provided with ports 32 adjacent its opposite ends and a centrally located port 33 which, when the related groove 31 passes through predetermined zones during rotation of cylinder 49 about the stationary core unit, are in communication with a source of compressed air so that blasts of compressed air then issue radially outward from the ports 32 and 33. Further each groove 31 is provided with additional ports 34 located approximately midway between the ports 32 and 33 and with a centrally located port 35, and the ports 34 and 35 are intended to be in communication with a source of partial vacuum during movement of the related groove 31 through other predetermined zones around the stationary core unit.

As shown in FIG. 4, the stationary core of the ejecting device 13 has a cylindrical body provided with ducts 36 which are parallel with the axis of the device 13 and open radially at suitable locations on the surface of the cylindrical body so as to communicate with the compressed air ports 32. The ducts 36, at one axial end, open into a control slot 38 which in turn communicates with a compressed air chamber 40 formed in a cap at one end of device 13. The annular compressed air chamber 40 communicates with a passage 42 in the cap which is suitably connected to a source of compressed air (not shown). The compressed air chamber 40 of the cap further communicates with a. slot 39 located after the slot 38, considered in the direction of rotation of the outer cylinder 49, as shown by the arrow thereon, and the slot 39 further communicates with openings at the upper ends of ducts 37 which open radially adjacent the center of the body of the fixed core so as to communicate with the central compressed air ports 33 of the successive grooves 31. Another slot 41 is formed in the end of the body to communicate with the compressed air chamber 40 and is located after the line of tangency of the cylinder 49 with the transfer drum 14. Axial ducts 36 and 37 also extend from the slot 41 and open radially at the surface of the body of the central core at locations for communication with the ports 32 and 33, simultaneously, thereby to blow out any material remaining in the grooves 31 after the latter have passed the point at which the units G are transferred to the drum 14.

The cap at one end of the stationary core of device 13 further has an annular suction chamber 47 disposed concentrically within the compressed air chamber 40 and communicating through a passage 48 with a suitable source of suction or partial vacuum (not shown). Formed in the end surface of the body of the stationary core and communicating with the suction chamber 47 are slots 45 and 46 which in turn communicate with axial ducts 43 and 44 located angularly in advance of the ducts 36 and following the ducts 37, respectively, considered in the direction of rotation of cylinder 49. The ducts 43 and 44 communicate with the suction ports 34 and 35, respectively Each of the grooves 31 moves with cylinder 49 from the station or location A of tangency with the rolling drum 12, at which each groove receives a cigarette and filter unit G, to the substantially diametrically opposed location at which the successive units are transferred to the drum 14, the ports 32 and 33 and the ports 34 and 35 of the groove are connected to the sources of compressed air and partial vacuum, respectively, in the follwing order: Initially partial vacuum is applied to the suction ports 34, then compressed air is applied, in sequence, to the outer ports 32 and to the central port 33, and thereafter suction is applied to the central suction port 35.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the device 13 includes arcuate guides 52, 53 and 54 extending, in sequence, around the lower portion of cylinder 49 substantially between the station A at which units G are received from drum 12 and the station at which the units G are transferred from cylinder 49 to the drum 14. Four of the guides 52 are provided and are spaced apart so as to be engageable with the cigarettes 28 of each unit G, with the guides 52 located between the locations at which the incisions 56 are formed in the cigarettes by the knife blades 60 upon operation of the identifying device 59. Only two of the guides 53 are provided, and these guides are located adjacent the central portion of the cylinder 49 so as to be engageable only with the double filter plugs 30 of the successive units G. Two of the guides 54 are also provided, but these guides are located adjacent the opposite ends of cylinder 49, that is, between the incisions 56 that may be formed in the cigarettes 28 and the outer ends of the latter, and the guides 54 have their ends 55 which extend in the direction opposed to the rotation of cylinder 49 formed as deflectors. The deflectors 55 are located relative to the surface of cylinder 49 so that the end portions 57 of the cigarettes 28 can pass freely over the deflectors 55 when the end portions of the cigarettes lie closely within the related grooves 31. However, if the end portions 57 of the cigarettes are bent or projected outwardly from the related grooves 31, as shown in FIG. 4, then the deflectors 55 at the ends of guides 54 engage between such outwardly bend end portions 57 and cylinder 49 and thereby strip the cigarette and filter unit G from the slot of cylinder 49 for discharge into the underlying receptacle.

The device 13 operates as follows:

If cigarette and filter units G are delivered to the grooves 31 of device 13 from the drum 12, but the cigarettes of such units have incisions 56 formed therein to indicate that the same were produced during the commencement of operation of the machine, as previously described herein, then the end portions 57 of the cigarettes are blown radially outward from the related grooves 31 by jets of compressed air issuing from the ports 32 when the latter communicate with the compressed air supply ducts 36. During the action of the compressed air issuing from ports 32 against the outer end portions 57 of the cigarettes, the middle portions of the unit G are held in the related groove 31 by the guides 52. Since the outer end portions 57 are deflected out of the grooves 31, the deflectors 55 of guides 54 can pass between such end portions 57 and the surface of cylinder 49 for stripping the defective unit G from the latter. During such stripping of the defective unit G from the related groove 31, the central port 33 of the latter is communicated with the ducts 37 supplying compressed air so that a jet of compressed air also acts outwardly against the central portion of the defective unit G to further cause ejection of the latter from the groove.

If a unit transferred to a groove 31 of cylinder 49 is lacking the cigarettes 28 normally forming a part thereof, for example, by reason of an interruption in the feeding of cigarettes to the machine, then such unit is rejected immediately after it passes the guides 53, at which time the central port 33 of the related groove is communicated with the compressed air supplying ducts 37 so that the jet of compressed air issuing from the port 33 then drives the filter plug of the incomplete unit out of the related groove.

If a unit received in a groove 31 of cylinder 49 consists only of the two cigarettes 28, for example, by reason of an interruption in the feeding of filters from the magazine 16 to the machine, then such unconnected cigarettes are ejected from the related groove 31 immediately upon the movement of the latter beyond the guides 52 at which time jets of compressed air issue from the ports 32 by reason of the continued communication of the latter with the compressed air supplying ducts 36.

If a defective or incomplete unit G delivered to a groove 31 of cylinder 49 consists of two cigarettes 28 joined together by a hollow connecting sleeve V, that is, a sleeve without a filter plug therein, the jets of air issuing from the outer ports 32 while the hollow connecting sleeve is engaged by the guides 53 exerts sufficiently strong forces to overcome the strength of the hollow connecting sleeve, whereby the latter is bent or pinched and the cigarettes 28 are deflected outwardly from the related groove 31 and thereby are engageable by the deflectors 55 at the ends of the guides 54 for ejection of the unit G from the related groove.

If a cigarette and filter unit G is delivered to a groove 31 of cylinder 49 without a connecting sleeve V joining together the filter plug and cigarettes, then the cigarettes 28 are ejected from the groove 31 when the ports 32 thereof communicate with the compressed air supplying ducts 36, and the double filter plug 30 is ejected from the groove when the latter clears the guides 53 and the central port 33 is in communication with the compressed air supplying ducts 37.

Finally, if a complete cigarette and filter unit G is delivered to a groove 31, but the cigarettes of such unit are inadequately filled or too soft, or if the connecting sleeve V is inadequately adhered to the cigarettes 28, then the compressed air issuing from the ports 32 during communication of the latter with the compressed air supplying ducts 36, and while the central portion of the unit G is engaged by the guides 53, will cause the cigarettes 28 to be bent outwardly from the related groove 31 and thereby moved into the range of effectiveness of the deflectors 55 of guides 54 for stripping of the defective unit G from cylinder 49.

It will be noted that the device 59 is operative to identify the defective cigarette and filter units G which are produced upon the commencement of operation of the machine, and does so by cutting incisions in the paper envelopes or casings W of the cigarettes, which incisions also extend partly through the tobacco filling of the cigarettes. However, in accordance with the present invention, the defective units or other rod-shaped objects being produced may be identified for convenient detection thereof merely by forming perforations or apertures in the paper or other wrapping material.

In the machine described above with reference to FIG. 1, the connecting sleeves V which join together the cigarettes 28 and filter plugs 30 of the units G are formed from sections cut from a strip 27 of paper or other wrapping material which is unwound from a roll on a spool or reel 24. When the roll of wrapping material on the spool or reel 24 is depleted, the operation of the filter cigarette making machine has to be halted to permit replacement of the empty spool or reel with one having a new supply of wrapping material thereon. However, FIGS. 5 to 9, inclusive, illustrate a device that can be substituted for the single spool 24 on the holder 25 of- FIG. 1 and that is adapted to supply a continuous and uninterrupted strip of paper or other wrapping material to a cigarette making machine to be formed by the latter into connecting sleeves for securing filter plugs to cigarettes, as in the machine of FIG. 1, or to form the paper casings or envelopes of cigarettes.

The device shown in FIG. 5 includes two spaced apart holders and 125a respectively supporting reels or spools 124 and 124a from which strips or webs 127 and 127a of paper or other wrapping material may be unwound successively. During the unwinding of the strip of paper from one of the spools or reels, for example, from the spool 124a as shown on FIG. 5, and the feeding of the unwound strip to the drums 22 and 23 (FIG. 1) by which the strip is cut into sections intended to form the connecting sleeves V of the units G, a full spool or reel of paper or other wrapping material, for example, the spool 124 on FIG. 5, is held in readiness and, upon exhaustion or depletion of the paper strip on the spool 124a from which the wrapping material is being unwound, the device operates automatically to splice the leading end of the strip 127 on the full spool 124 to the trailing end of the strip 127a unwound from the empty spool 124a.

The strips 127 and 127a withdrawn from the spools 124 and 124a pass around guide pulleys 126 and 126a and then travel along parallel, closely spaced apart paths past guide rolls 70 and 70a. Lower and upper suction heads 71 and 71a arranged beyond the guide rolls 70 and 70a and suitably connected to a source of partial vacuum (not shown) are provided with perforated surfaces for adhering engagement with the strips 127 and 127a, respectively. The suction heads 71 and 71a are located immediately ahead of a splicing and perforating mechanism 79 that includes an upper roller 79b rotated about a fixed axis and a lower roller 79a rotated about a vertically movable axis, and being normally downwardly spaced from the upper roller 7%. Both of the suction heads 71 and 71a are mounted in a common support 72 that is movable parallel to the paths of travel of strips 127 and 127a between the suction heads, that is, toward and away from the splicing and perforating mechanism 79. The support 72 is normally disposed in the position illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, that is, with the suction heads 71 and 71a spaced a relatively large distance from rollers 79a and 79b, and the support 72 is connected to the armature 73a of a solenoid 73 so that, upon energization of the latter, support 72 is moved towards rollers 79a and 79b to the position illustrated on FIG. 7b.

The lower roller 79a of the splicing and perforating mechanism 79 is connected to the armature of a solenoid 84 so that, upon energization of the latter, the roller 79a is moved upwardly from its normal inoperative position (FIGS. 5 and 6) against the upper roller 7% (FIGS. 7b and 8b).

In order to control the energization of the solenoids 73 and 84, the device illustrated in FIGS. and 6 further includes light sources 74 and 74a each directing two beams of light against the strips 127 and 127a, respectively, at spaced apart locations along the paths of travel of the respective strips around the guide pulleys 126 and 126a. Photoelectric cells 75 and 80 and photoelectric cells 75a and 80aare disposed adjacent the paths of travel of the strips 127 and 127a at the locations where the beams of light are directed against such strips by the light sources 74 and 74a, respectively. The photoelectric cells 75 and 75a are connected by conductors 76 and 76m to a control unit 77 which is, in turn, connected to relays 78 and 83 for energizing the solenoids 73 and '84, respectively. When either one of the photoelectric cells 75 and 75a is energized by a light beam from the related light source 74 or 74a, the resulting electrical signal fed to the control unit 77 causes the latter to energize both relays 78 and 83, and thereby close the contacts of the relays, for a predetermined period of time during which solenoids 73 and 84 are energized.

The photoelectric cells 80 and 80a are connected by conductors 81 and 81a to a control unit 82 which controls the relay 83 in the energizing circuit of solenoid 84. The control unit 82 is operative to energize the relay 83 and thereby close its contacts for energizing the solenoid 84 for a predetermined period of time whenever the diffused light reaching one or the other of the photoelectric cells 80 and 80a through the related paper strip 127 or 127a is further reduced in intensity by the passage of a double thickness of paper.

As shown in detail on FIG. 9, from which the upper suction head 71a has been eliminated for the purpose of clarity, the lower roller 79a of the splicing and perforating mechanism 79 is mounted on a shaft 79d. One end of the shaft 79d is journalled in a bearing carried by the armature 84a of solenoid 84, while the opposite end of shaft 79d is journalled in a bearing carried by an arm 85 which is rockably supported on the output shaft 86 of the reduction gearing of an electric'motor 87. A gear transmission is provided for driving rollers 79a and 79b from the motor shaft 86 and includes meshing spur gears 87a and 871) respectively secured on the shafts 86 and 79d, and a further spur gear 870 meshing with the gear 87a and also with a spur gear 87d fixed on the shaft of the upper roller 79b. The lower roller 79a has two diametrically opposed, axially extending grooves 79e in which blocks 79f are secured at axially adjusted positions, and punches or pins 79c project radially outward from the blocks 79]. The upper roller 79b is similarly provided with diametrically opposed axial grooves 79g having blocks 79h adjustably secured therein and provided with bores 79k into which the punches or pins 790 are adapted to extend. The bottom roller 79a has rounded projections 79m extending from its surface, while the upper roller 7% has its surface formed with corresponding recesses or dimples 7911.

Further, as is apparent in FIG. 9, the perforated surface 71d of each of the suction heads, for example, of the suction head 71 appearing in FIG. 9, is transversely arcuate on concave so that, when the leading end portion of the strip 127 or 127a is held to the surface 71d, as hereinafter described, such end portion of the strip is longitudinally stiffened and thereby prevented from dipping downwardly from a path directed toward the nip between the rollers 79a and 79b. Further, each suction head is provided with laterally adjustable guides 71b and 71c at the opposite sides thereof for laterally guiding the related strip 127 or 127a.

The device described above with refenrence to FIGS. 5 to 9, inclusive, operates as follows:

When the strip 127a from spool or reel 124a is to be initially fed to the cigarette making machine, as in FIG.

5, the strip 127a is threaded around guide pulleys 126a and over guide roller 70a so that its leading end portion is held by the suction head 71a and projects a small distance beyond the latter toward the splicing and perforating mechanism 79. If a break occurs in the strip 127a, or when the strip 1270: is completely unwound from its spool 124a so that its trailing end 127b moves past the associated photoelectric cell 75a, as in FIG. 7a, whereby the beam of light from source 74a is unimpeded by the strip, then solenoids 73 and 84 are both simultaneously energized in response to the increased intensity of illumination received by the photoelectric cell, as described above. The energization of solenoid 73 moves support 72 toward mechanism 79 so that the leading end 127s is projected between rollers 79a and 79b and, after a suitable time delay, the solenoid 84 raises roller 79a so that, when the trailing end 127b of the strip 127a reachesh the location of rollers 79a and 79b, the latter press together the trailing end portion 127b and the leading end portion 127:: to roll a pressure splice therebetween, as shown in FIG. 711. Thus, strip 127 is connected to strip 127a to permit the continuous, uninterrupted feeding of the paper or wrapping material to the filtered cigarette making machine. During the feeding of the strip 127 from spool or reel 124, the empty reel on support or holder 125a is replaced by a full reel 124a and the strip unwound from the latter is threaded around the guide pulleys 126a and past the guide roller 70a so that its leading end portion is then held by the upper suction head 71a, as shown in FIG. 6. Thus, the strip unwound from the new reel or spool 12401 is then positioned for attachment or splicing to the trailing end of the strip 127 then being unwound from the spool 124.

Since the double thickness of paper or wrapping mate rial occurring at the location of the splice or joint between the ends 127b and 127c of the joined together strips 127a and 127, respectively, would produce a connecting sleeve V of double thickness, which is not desired, the punches or pins 790 and the cooperating bores 79k provided on the rollers 79a and 79b, in accordance with this invention, act to form perforations in the portion of the strip having a double thickness of material so that, when the perforated portion of the strip is formed into a connecting sleeve V joining two cigarettes 28 to a double filter plug 30, as in FIG. 10, the perforations 127e appear adjacent the opposite ends of the sleeve and the respective unit G can be easily detected so that the unit G including the sleeve of double thickness can be ejected or discharged from the filter cigarette making machine. It will be apparent that the perforations 127e appearing adjacent the ends of the connecting sleeve V substantially weaken the connections between the cigarettes 28 and the centrally located filter plug 30. Thus, when the unit G having a connecting sleeve with the perforations 127e therein passes through the ejecting device 13 previously described herein with reference to FIG. 4, the jets of compressed air issuing from the ports 32 of the related groove 31 while the central portion of the unit G is retained by the guides 53 is effective to bend the cigarettes 28 outwardly from the groove 31 at the weakened connections to the sleeve V defined by the perforations 127e. Thus, the deflectors 55 of guides 54 can thereafter engage between the outwardly bent cigarettes and the surface of cylinder 49 for ejecting the defective unit from the machine.

Although the operation of the device illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 has been described above with respect to a splice appearing at the connection between strips of paper or wrapping material fed successively from two rolls or spools 124 and 124a, it will be apparent that each strip of paper wound on each roll 124 or 124a may be, in turn, formed of several strips which are united by similar splices or overlapping joints, as at 127d on FIG. When a splice 127d is sensed by the related photoelectric cell 80 or 80a, the control unit 82 and relay 83 cause energization of the solenoid 84 after a suitable time delay so that, when the splice or overlap joint 127d passes between rollers 79a and 7%, as in FIG. 8b, the lower roller 79a is pressed upwardly against the upper roller 79b and the punches or pins 790 again cooperate with the bores 79k to form perforations in the joint or splice 127d. Such perforations can be sensed, as indicated above, by the device 13 which causes ejection of the units G having connecting sleeves formed from the joint 127d.

It is further to be noted that the projections 79m and the corresponding recesses 7911 of the rollers 79a and 79b cooperate to dimple the splice or overlapped joint simultaneously with the forming of the perforations in the latter, so that, when the corresponding portion of the paper strip is rolled into the form of a connecting sleeve V, the dimples prevent secure adherence of the sleeve to itself and also to the adjacent cigarettes 28, thereby to further ensure the correct operation of the device 13 in detecting and ejecting those units G having connecting sleeves formed from the splice or joint portion of the strip.

Although the device illustrated in FIGS. to 9, inclusive, has been described above in connection with the supplying of a strip of paper or Wrapping material to a filter cigarette making machine, as shown in FIG. 1, in which sections of the paper strip are formed into connecting sleeves securing two cigarettes to an interposed double filter plug, it will be apparent that the described device may be similarly employed for feeding a paper strip to a conventional cigarette making machine in which the successive or joined together paper strips 127 and 127a are rolled around a continuous rod of tobacco to form the paper casing or envelope of successive cigarettes cut from the rod. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, the splice or overlapped joint between the paper strips 127 and 127a is formed with pairs of perforations 127 and 127g adjacent the opposite ends of the joint 127d and the latter is further dimpled, whereby a cigarette cut from the portion of the tobacco rod encased in the splice or joint 127d may 'be conveniently detected and rejected.

I claim:

1. In a process for manufacturing rod-shaped articles having tubes of wrapping material and including articles having and articles free of manufacturing defects, the steps of forming apertures at least in the wrapping material of articles having manufacturing defects, subjecting each article to bending forces so that those articles having manufacturing defects, and which are formed with said apertures which weaken the articles, are bent by said forces, and segregating those articles which are bent from articles which are free of manufacturing defects.

2. In a machine for making filter cigarettes, and wherein rod-shaped units are produced each normally including a filter plug portion and at least one cigarette portion joined to said plug portion by a connecting sleeve portion, the combination of transporting means arranged to move successive units along a predetermined path from the machine with each unit extending laterally with respect to the direction of movement thereof along said path; guide means extending along successive zones of said path and laterally located so as to be engageable respectively with said filter plug portions and cigarette portions of each unit moving along the related zones of said path; and means for directing jets of compressed air against said cigarette portions and filter plug portions of each unit as the latter moves along said zones of the path at which said guide means engage said filter plug portions and cigarettes portions, respectively, of the unit, whereby units lacking said cigarette portions, said sleeve portions or said filter plug portions and sleeve portions have the remaining portions thereof ejected from said transporting means by said jets of compressed air to avoid the discharge of incomplete units from the machine.

3. In a machine for making filter cigarettes, the combination as in claim 2 wherein such guide means engageable with the cigarette portions includes deflector means operative to strip from said transporting means those units having cigarette portions projecting out of said predetermined path, whereby units lacking only said filter plug portions are bent by said jets of compressed air acting on the cigarette portions thereof so that the latter thereby project from said path and the corresponding units are stripped from the transporting means by said deflector means.

4. In a machine for making filter cigarettes, the combinations as in claim 3 wherein said guide means engageable with the cigarette portions is laterally located near the ends of the latter remote from the related filter plug portions and sleeve portions, and further comprising additional guide means extending along a zone of said path in advance of said guide means engageable with the filter plug portions of the units, said additional guide means being engageable with the cigarette portions of the units intermediate the ends thereof, means for directing jets of compressed air transversely against the end portions of the cigarette portions of units while the filter plug portions of the latter are engaged by said additional guide means, and means acting during the initial stage of operation of the machine to form incisions in the end portions of cigarette portions which are insecurely joined to the related filter plug portions so that, when said units with incisions in the end portions of their cigarette portions are engaged by said additional guide means, the jets of compressed air acting against the end portions of the cigarette portions bend the latter at said incisions to project said end portions from said path whereupon the projecting end portions are engaged by said deflector means for stripping of the related units from said transporting means.

5. In a machine for making filter cigarettes, the combination as in claim 4 wherein said means for forming incisions in the end portions of the cigarette portions includes blade means movable between an operative position in which said blade means extends into said path and an inoperative position, and means responsive to the operating speed of the machine and arranged to move said blade means to said operative position thereof only when the speed of operation of the machine is below a predetermined value.

6. In a machine for producing a succession of rodshaped articles which are likely to have manufacturing defects during the initial stage of operation of the machine, the combination of means operative to reduce the bending strength of articles produced during said initial stage of operation of the machine; transporting means for moving successively produced articles along a predetermined path; means operative to subject successively produced articles to bending forces during their transport along said predetermined path so that the articles of reduced bending strength are bent and project from said path; and ejecting means disposed adjacent to said path and operative to remove from said transporting means such articles which project from said path.

7. In a machine for producing a succession of rodshaped articles including sleeves rolled from sections of an adhesive-coated strip of wrapping material and adhering to the related articles so that the latter have manufacturing defects when produced during the initial stage of operation of the machine and when including sleeves formed from joint portions of the strip, the combination of means operative to form apertures in the articles during said initial stage of operation and to form apertures in the joint portions of the strip of wrapping material so that articles produced during said initial stage of operation of the machine and articles including sleeves formed from said joint portions have a reduced bending strength by reason of said apertures therein; transporting means for moving successively produced articles along a predetermined path; means for subjecting successively produced articles to bending stresses during their movement along said path so that the articles of reduced bending strength are bent and project from said path; and ejecting means disposed adjacent to said path and operative to remove from said transporting means such articles which project from said path.

8. In combination, a machine for producing cigarettes with or Without filters or analogous rod-shaped articles, said machine being normally operated at a speed within a predetermined range of speeds; monitoring means for checking the operating speed of said machine during and subsequent to starting and for producing characteristic indications when the operating speed of said machine is outside of said predetermined range; and ejector means responsive to such indications and arranged to eject from said machine articles which are produced when the operating speed of said machine is outside of said predetermined range.

9. The structure as defined in claim 8, wherein said machine comprises means for transporting the articles and said characteristic indications along a predetermined path and at the same speed.

10. In a process for selecting the destination of cigarettes with or without filters or analogous rod-shaped articles in a machine wherein such articles are produced and which is normally operated at a speed within a perdeterfnined range of speeds, the steps of conveying along a predetermined path those articles which are produced while the machine is operated at a speed which is within said predetermined range of speeds; monitoring the opcrating speed of the machine during and subsequent to starting and producing characteristic indications when the machine is operating at a speed which is outside of said predetermined range of speeds and at which the machine is likely to produce defective articles; and utilizing such characteristic indications to prevent entry into said path of articles which are produced when the machine is operated at a speed which is outside of said predetermined range of speeds so that only those articles which are produced when the machine is operated at a speed which is within said predetermined range of speeds can enter said path.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,967,624 7/ 1934 Molins 131-21 1,977,239 10/ 1934 Molins 209-79 2,246,107 6/1941 Ruau 20979 2,320,346 6/ 1943 Broekhuysen 13l21 2,580,940 1/ 1952 Molins et al. 20972 X 2,905,319 9/1959 Horgan 20974 2,945,587 7/1960 Bell et al. 20974 2,951,364 9/1960 Sherrill 73-45.2 3,067,754 12/1962 Pinkham et al. 131-21 3,237,444 3/1966 Kaeding et al 20972 X JOSEPH S. REICH, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

